A man who was blindfolded suddenly appeared in front of Yung, blocking his path."Do not attack him," the man ordered."But... why, Holy Father?" Yung asked, confused."I want to see something," the man replied calmly. "No elder is allowed to attack him!""Why are you getting involved, William?" Duncan asked, a deep frown on his face."Do you not possess shame? Allowing an elder to attack a child? Where is your honor and dignity as a Holy Father?""But he's a spy!" Duncan was shouting at this point."You have no proof of that. You only know about his torture and near-death, so how is that evidence of him being a spy sent to infiltrate our sect?""......" Duncan wanted to say something, but he had no retort."No elders are permitted to attack the boy." William's voice rang close to the ear of every elder, almost as if he were standing beside them.The words echoed through the hall, reaching every elder present."Holy Father, what about our disciples?" Shekini asked carefully. Her voice

Some time had passed since his conversation with Sabine. Vandal had spent long hours meditating and had finally stabilized his Stage Three Resonance. Matron Clara had offered to teach him basic fighting techniques. He had almost declined, but something in him accepted. He was glad he did. The complex punching arts hidden in his mind were powerful, yet they would take weeks or even months to master properly.Matron Clara’s straightforward lessons gave him a solid foundation and helped the ancient techniques click faster.He absorbed every lesson like a sponge. Sweat dripped down his face as he repeated the forms again and again under the afternoon sun. His muscles burned, but with each repetition the movements grew smoother, more instinctive.Sabine often came to keep him company. During breaks they sat together, trading silly jokes and lighthearted stories. For the first time since arriving in this world, a quiet warmth settled in Vandal’s chest, a small but genuine sense of happiness

“So I heard you are quite the restless one,” Hutrar said with a small smile. “From beating up guards to walking around with Sabine as if she is your arm candy. Have you no shame for misleading such a clueless girl?”“I’m not a deceitful person, and I don’t mislead anyone,” Vandal replied. “Are you going to attack, or should I?”Vandal could feel a hot and oppressive aura radiating from Hutrar, like standing too close to a roaring flame. He did not care. He had trained for this moment, and he refused to let fear weaken his body.“I will go easy on you because I respect Matron Clara,” Hutrar said in a matter-of-fact tone. “I will not beat you to death.”“Quite a tone you have there,” Vandal shot back. “Since you like to talk so much, let me show you who is really going to go easy on who.”Vandal stopped talking and attacked instantly. With blinding speed, he closed the distance in the blink of an eye. He spun his body and whipped a powerful kick toward Hutrar’s face.“Hmph.”Hutrar snor

Vandal stood beside Grand Elder Williams with his new enforcer cloak draped over his shoulders. He scanned the crowd slowly, taking in every face. Sabine beamed openly, her eyes bright with pride that she made no effort to hide. Matron Clara stood nearby and fought to keep her features blank, yet the corners of her mouth kept twitching upward in quiet satisfaction no matter how hard she pressed her lips together.“Now, I want all the enforcers to come out and congratulate your new brother,” Williams announced, his voice ringing across the hall.He leaned down and spoke quietly to Vandal. “From this moment on, you will only answer to your code name during missions. Never your real name. Do you understand?”“I understand, Holy Father,” Vandal replied with an amiable smile.“Alright, get yourself acquainted with your teammates. We will be seeing one another again soon enough,” Father Williams said before he stepped back.Three figures emerged from the enforcer section, each cloak unique

Elder Yung’s shadow fell across the polished floor before he did. Vandal felt Mael go very still beside him, a soldier’s stillness, the kind that meant pay attention, this matters.The elder’s right eye twitched the moment his gaze landed on Vandal. The memory of the boy once calling him useless flashed behind his eyes, and something in his jaw tightened at the sight of that same disciple now standing among the enforcers, the highest and most respected rank in the sect.“You will be protecting descendants of the holy fathers,” Yung said. No greeting. No preamble. “No harm comes to them. They seek to gain experience with this expedition and will meet you three days from now.”This annoying brat, Yung thought, holding Vandal’s gaze. I hope you die in this expedition.“And if the Resonance Council attacks us for being there?” Vandal asked before the elder could continue. “Are we allowed to kill them, or just die politely?”Yung’s water glass stopped halfway to his mouth.Behind him, one